2023 Pink Paddle and flower ceremony.

Many paddlers gathered for our final paddle of the sixteenth season to promote October’s breast cancer awareness. We also held a flower ceremony remembering those who no longer paddle with us and ‘closed the eyes’ of our ‘dragons’ for the winter.

Both dragon boats, our V6 outrigger canoe and the support boat were dressed in pink and with flowers ready for the flower ceremony as were our paddling members and launched ready for the day.

Which boats did you paddle in?

The V6 outrigger.

Our pink dragon boat Artemis Phyllis.

Mary at Low Wood

Our support boat.

It was a beautiful day with relatively calm water and dramatic views across the fells.

Helms and paddlers made good use of the conditions enjoying some energetic paddling action.

Then we gathered at the ‘cannon’ jetty at Low Wood for our flower ceremony.

Some paddlers switched to different boats and there was a further paddling session before we met at the pontoon to ‘close the eyes’ of our dragons. The dragons are the heads of our dragon boats and we chose members to paint over the eye pupils as if they are asleep. We will awaken them at the start of our 2024 seventeenth season in the year of the dragon.

After all the boats were taken off the water andequipment and boats safely stowed away, many paddlers gathered at Ambleside Parish Hall for a well deserved social gathering with lovely food shared in a Jacob’s Join.